Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Martin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sabrina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I was growing up, I always knew I wanted to help people, but I just didn’t know how or where. My dad was a commercial shrimper, so I spent many a summer working on the back deck of our family shrimp boat learning about hard work, dedication, and passion. My dad had a never-ending passion for the work he did, and I always knew that I wanted that as well. My first year of college, I decided that I would pursue teaching. I was passionate about education and looked forward to being an advocate for students. The August after my freshman year, I was out shrimping with my dad, my younger brother, and our deckhand for the opening week of the biggest harvest season of the year. In a tragic turn of events, our shrimp boat was overturned in a terrible storm on August 18, 2014. My father lost his life, and I was trapped for 4 hours in the hull of our mostly submerged shrimp boat while the Port of Houston fire department worked to free me. I was hospitalized for my injuries but thankfully was able to recover quickly. The outpouring of support that came from the community as my family and I began our journey forward was incredible. It further solidified that I wanted to give back somehow.
Before the start of my senior year of college, I worked to find a job that took me out of my comfort zone. Something that would allow me to grow and learn more about the professional world. In May 2016, I accepted a position as the Tourism Intern for the City of Baytown Tourism Division. It was there that I fell in love with local government. I spent my senior year taking classes two days a week at the University of Houston and student teaching the other three days. Thanks to my amazing supervisor, Anna, I was able to continue my internship over the next school year and worked in the evenings. After graduation, I accepted a position with the Tourism Division as the Tourism Visitor Outreach Specialist. My job includes content curation, email marketing, and special projects like the Baytown Public Art Program. I love sharing Baytown with visitors and residents alike. I still have a passion for education, and serve on the United Way of Greater Baytown and Chambers County Community Impact Committee and Education Grant Review team.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but it has been full of grace, support, and love. Though the boat accident didn’t leave any lasting physical injuries, it did leave me with nightmares, panic attacks, extreme anxiety, and the worst of all for me was the survivor’s guilt. I worked very hard for the first year to find a way to handle the panic attacks and anxiety, and I found good coping mechanisms. I ran until I couldn’t run anymore and it helped me sleep better through the night. I cut out caffeine when my anxiety instigated too many panic attacks. But the survivor’s guilt was the hardest of it all. I didn’t know how to reach out to anyone about it. I hated turning to my mom or my siblings because they were already hurting so badly, why should I make it worse with my pain? But there’s always that breaking point where you hit rock bottom, and there’s nowhere else to go. I was already leaning heavily on my faith, but when I hit rock bottom after the accident, I had to learn how to let go of all the guilt and trust God. By all earthly measures, I shouldn’t be alive right now. But for some reason, God wanted me here today, and so I try to live everyday with a smile and a grateful heart.
Please tell us about City of Baytown Tourism Division.
I am the Tourism Visitor Outreach Specialist for the City of Baytown. My job includes visitor servicing, email marketing, and content curation. I am part of a few special projects like Baytown’s Public Art Program. The Public Art Program is spearheaded by the Baytown Tourism Office and a Public Art Visioning Committee. I love working with the committee because it brings so many different personalities together. It’s a fairly diverse committee made up of city employees and local artists who want the best for Baytown’s Public Art Program. The Umbrella Alley has been my favorite project so far. Located at 124 W. Texas Avenue, the alley used to be very neglected and full of graffiti, and we transformed into one of the most photographed locations in Baytown. With a canopy of over 100 umbrellas and nearly 15 panels of murals that highlight the major icons of Baytown, Umbrella Alley is a must-see for visitors and residents!
I’m proud to work for the City of Baytown because we really are working together to enrich lives and build community. The Public Art Program wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the collaboration between Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Tourism, and the Public Art Visioning Committee.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could start over, I would worry less about what everyone expected of me and done more reflection/exploration of who I was and who I wanted to be. I knew I wanted to help people, but I never gave myself the opportunity to explore the different ways that I could do that. I jumped into teaching because it seemed like the only way that I could accomplish helping others. I encourage all recent high school graduates and college students to get out of their comfort zone and explore the different careers that are available. You never know what you may find!
Contact Info:
- Address: 2401 Market Street, Baytown, Texas, 77520
- Website: www.visitbaytown.com
- Phone: 281-420-7194
- Email: sabrina.martin@baytown.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baytowntourism/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baytowntourism/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/baytowntourism?lang=en
Image Credit:
Freely Focused Photography
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